Pipe joint



Nov. 21, 1933. H 5 mm H M 1,935,673

PIPE JOINT Filed March 17, 1931 INVENTORSI melee Nov. 21, 1933- PATENT OFFICE PIPE JOINT Harry B. Smith, Upper Darby, and Charles F. Dixon, Wayne, Pa.

Application March 1'1, 1931. Serial No. 523,242

4 Claims. (01. 285-440) This invention relates to pipe joints, and is more especially concerned with joints for pipe lines carrying highpressures.

It is a common practice to use flanged pipe joints inhigh pressure pipe lines. In such a joint-a sheet of packing is placed betweenrthe abutting flanges and the flanges later are bolted together. The fact, however, that a packing must be used is a source of annoyance in making the-original installation, and frequently is also a cause of. trouble later, especially if the pipe line. must. carry exceptionally high pressures, since. such pressures greatly increase the danger of blowing out the packings. The presentinvention deals especially with these considerations, and it aims to devise a pipe joint which will succcssfullyhold high pressures without theme of packings'.

A The nature of the invention will be readily understood' from the following description when read in connectlon'wltli the accompanying drawing, and the novel features will be particularly pointed "out in the appended claims. In the drawing, Figure 1 15 a view, partly in vertical section and partly in side elevation, of a pipe joint con structed in accordance with this invention;

Fig. Zis a-sectional view substantially on the line 2"'2, Fig. 1, but showing the end' face of one-of the pipe members in elevation; and

Fig.8 is a sectional view showing, on a larger scale, the grooved construction of the meeting faces of the two pipe flanges.

The construction shown comprises two pipe "end members 2 and 3, respectively, which may be integral with, or separate from, the adjoining pipe sections, as desired. These members are provided with radial flanges 4 and 5, respectively, having meeting or abutting faces surrounding the bore, 6 of the pipe. So far as these features of the construction are concerned the joint is like those used heretofore. In the joint shown, however, the meeting surfaces of the flanges instead of being made plain or flat, as in the usual commercial constructions, are each provided with a series of concentric grooves. While the grooves may take a variety of forms, an arrangement like that shown in Fig. 3 has proved very satisfactory andconsists simply of a series of 60 grooves separated by correspondingly shaped ribs or ridges. In Fig. 3 the bottoms of the grooves in the flange 5 are indicated at 7, while those in the opposite flange 4 are shown at 8. The ridges or ribs between adjacent grooves the flange 5 are indicated at 9 and those in the flange 4 at 10. These grooves and ridges are formed circularly in each flange face about the axis of the-pipe bore 6, and the ridges of one face are arranged to enter the grooves of the other but not to register with the grooves. Inother words, the ridges of one face are offset radially with reference to the grooves of the other face by a distance less than the radial. distance between the bottom of a groove and the crest or edge of the next adjacent ridge. sequently, when the two grooved faces are brought together, the inclined surfaces of the ridges of one flange will strike the correspondingly inclined surfaces of the ridges of the other flange and thus prevent the ridges from bottom- ,.ing in the grooves. This means that the inclined from contact with any part of the flange 4. In

other words, pressure will be exerted on one side only of each ridge, and the opposite side of each ridge will be free. As the nuts on the bolt 14 are tightened up and the pressure forcing the two flanges toward each other thus is increased, the

contact of the two sets of ridges with each other will tend to bend the ridges laterally, or in a radial direction, due to the lateral wedging action which one ridge exerts on another. This will be clear from an inspection of Fig. 3. It will also be evident that this action is produced by 'the fact that the ridges in one flange are offset with reference both to the grooves and the ridges of the opposite flange. An exceptionally close contact between the annular inclined surfaces of corresponding ridges of both flanges thus is produced. Since the fluid conducted through the pipe must escape between these surfaces so pressed together, if any leakage at all is to occur, .it will be evident that the diffl- .100

culty of such escape is enormously increased and that leakage is definitely prevented.

In order to clamp the flanges 4 and 5 securely together, two clamping rings 12 and 13 encircle the end members 2 and 3 and bear against the outer surfaces of the respective flanges 4 and 5. These rings may be drawn together tightly by the bolts 14, thus forcing the meeting faces of the flanges 4 and 5 firmly into contact with each other.

Con- 65 When this occurs an exceedingly close Q ceptionallytightijoint is produced without the bers having radial flanges provided with meet surfaces of the flanges 4 and 5, and as the bolts and intimate contact is produced between the inclined surfaces of the ridges 9 and 10 of the two flanges, as will be obvious from an inspection of Figs. 1 and 3. Due to-thisnzrrangernent an exing ridge of the other face, and means for securing said members together with said grooved faces in said relationship.

2. A pipe joint comprising two pipe end memuse of a packing.

Instead of having the clamping rings 12 and 13 bear flatly against the flanges 4 and5, we prefer to make the contactbetween the rings and the flanges such that a localized annular area of maximum initial pressure will be produced between the meeting faces of the flanges close to their inner margins, and this area will be widened "many a the pressure of the clamping rings on of the grooves in the latter face whereby each the 11311865715 mcreased- This'may convgniently ridge of one face will bear on one side only of a be accomplished by makmg the 'lowelsuria-lerr similar ridge of the other face, two clamping rings of the ring 12 diverge or flare somewhat relatively Surrounding said b r and bearing, respecto the upper t face of the flange 4 and tively, on said flanges, and bolts for drawing said spondmlly 511891118 the upper Surface 17 of the clamping rings together to hold the meeting faces 101181 11118 The divergence of these faces of said flanges firmly in contact with each other from Plane Perpendicular to the axis of the end the contacting surfaces of said flanges and said members 2 and 3 need not be great in order to rings diverging slightly {mm each other as they produce the results above described, an angle of extend away from the bores of said pipe end 1 or 2' being sufficient.t with this arrangemembers ment asthe bolts 14 are tigh ened up,t e pressure 3 A pipe joint com 1.18m two i end (Emiles first on those rldges 9 and 10 bers having radial fla ges p rovide with meeting U the inner margins of the meetmg faces, two clamping rings surroundingsaid members and bearing, respectively, on said flanges, and means for drawing said rings toward each other and clamping said flanges together, said rings being shaped to cooperate with said flanges to produce a localized annular area of maximum initial pressure between said meeting faces, adjacent to and surrounding the pipe bore and to cause said area to widen outwardly as the pressure of said clamping rings on said flanges is ining'surfaces, said flanges surrounding the bores through-saidmembers, each of said meeting faces having a series of concentric grooves surrounding the bore therethrough, said grooves being separated from each other by ridges having inclined walls and the ridges of one face being adapted to enterth? grooves in the other face but being offset radially with reference to the bottoms are tightened further, the pressure travels outward radially, the rings 12 and 13 springing slightly until all the bolts have been set up to the desired degree.

This construction has been found in practice to be exceptionally satisfactory on pipe lines carrying very igh pressures. The fact that packings have bee entirely eliminated is an advantage both in assembling the line initially and alsoduring'operation since the danger of a packing blowing-out is obviated. This construction is equally i' i ggggggi gig hzgg i gg" $3 5; 2;: usefulin valves, fittings, and the like, where esmembers having an aperture therethrough and 115 sentially the same problems are presented as in each of said faces having circular ridges rounding said aperture, the adjacent ridges in each face being separated by grooves, said ridges in each face having inclined walls adapted to enter the grooves in the opposite face, said ridges in one face. being offset radially by a substantial distance with reference to both the ridges and grooves in the opposite face, and means for securing said members together with said faces in contact with each other, whereby the offset relationship of said ridges will prevent the ridges g g ig gifigggzig lg gg gggh g gg iggg of one face from bottoming in the grooves of the bers having an aperture therethrough and each other face and will cause the inner inclined surface having a series of grooves to surround said faces of the ndges in one face to against the aperture said grooves being separated by ridges outer inclined surfaces of the ridges in the ophaving inclined walls, the ridges of one of said poslt? face with tendency to bend sets faces being adapted to enter the grooves in the of ndges laterally said races mlced other face and being so offset with reference to togetherthe latter grooves as to cause each ridge of one HARRY SMITH. face to bear against one side only of a correspond- CHARLES 1". DIXON.

understood that the invention may be embodied in other forms without departing from the spirit or scope thereof.

Having thus described our invention, what we desire to claim as new is: 

